Information for Linked Schools
Getting started
Congratulations on joining the Link Schools Programme!
When you are first linked you will receive a profile of your
partner school, and your partner school will appreciate receiving a prospectus
or school newsletter in return. Some schools create a profile of their school
as a classroom project including information on the local area and
photographs.  Having sent some
initial information, do follow this up with a
phonecall. Head to head works best at the outset. If it is not possible
to phone, send a letter to LCD's UK office and we will pass it on to your
partner school.
Some schools form a working party or committee, sharing ideas
involving members of staff, governors and pupils. This will widen involvement
and the impact of the partnership at your school. The more the link becomes a
whole school project the more successful it is likely to be. This will also help
to avoid continuity problems if a key member of staff leaves. Ensure the project
is included in your
school's development plan.  Explain the
project at a whole school assembly. LCD can provide materials and
occasionally a speaker to support this. LCD may ask for a speaker's travel costs
to be covered. Some schools choose to develop an agreement outlining the aims and
objectives of their partnership. LCD can provide you with resources and advice
to do so. Try to negotiate with your partner school to do some work together
that will meet both your needs, but keep this simple - possibly focussing on one
or two areas to begin with, e.g. traditional stories, a day in the life of
...  Aim to have
a plan in place for the first year of linking which outlines activities
both schools will take part in. Plan realistically bearing in mind time and cost
implications, starting small until your partnership has developed and
strengthened.
Make a display in a prominent area of the school using the school
profile as a focus. Ask the pupils to contribute artefacts, photos or pictures
from the African country. Inform parents and consider ways of involving the PTA
in curriculum and fundraising activities. Arrange a press release to your local
newspapers.
Correspondence links
Start with correspondence links. Staff-staff and pupil-pupil
exchanges, describing their lives and asking questions, are a good starting
point. LCD
sends two secure couriers of UK schools' correspondence to our teams in the
South every term. Details of dates and guidance are in your resource
pack. Be prepared for a long turnaround period, as post can be
unreliable, and teachers and pupils at your link school may be less used to
letter-writing. Find out whether a teacher at your linked school has access to
email facilities. Class to class letter-writing can work better than pupil to pupil,
as it can avoid disappointment. Monitor the contents of letters for sensitive
material relating to cultural, social and economic differences.
Information exchange
 Be
specific about the kind of information you want, so that direct comparisons
can be made. Design a questionnaire which keeps writing to a minimum. Be aware
the pupils' level of English at your partner school may be basic.
Send: school timetables, newspapers, magazines, class newspaper,
stickers and posters, postcards, artwork, cartoons, maps and charts, posters,
catalogues etc. Be aware that your link school may not have electricity which
may have implications for exchanging videos/cassettes. Exchange stories to help with literacy and international
understanding. Exchange maps and diagrams describing the local
community.
Maintaining the partnership
 Keep in touch once the link is established. If you do not hear
from your partner in a month or so try again. If this does not work, contact LCD
in the UK, who will follow it up through colleagues in Africa.
Use the phone to make contact with your school. This is often a
very effective way of maintaining communication and sorting out any
difficulties. Be honest with your partner school about problems or
misunderstandings. Many teachers
text if the headteacher has a mobile phone. Hold an annual event when you focus on your link school. This may
be an African day/week or may be combined with a fundraising event. Keep governors, parents, pupils and teachers informed of events
concerning your partner school's country and encourage their interest.
Other Information
Media
LCD is keen to hear about what's going on with your partnership, so please do
keep us informed. If you think you have a story that would be of interest for
the media — be it the TES, BBC World Class, your Union magazine or local
or national media — please contact us at linkschools@lcd.org.uk.
Fundraising
Partnerships are not about charity, even though you may be contributing
financially to your link school's development. Schools should both make equal
contributions to projects worked out in partnership.
 Think carefully
about the practical implications of sending books and other resources to your
link school. Postage is often very expensive and it may be better to use other
charities such as BookAid International (tel: 020 7733 3577) or Community HEART
(tel: 020 7700 3886) if you have books which you wish to donate.
Finding funding
LCD supports teacher exchanges, where these are designed to plan or develop
joint projects between linked schools. The DfID Global School Partnerships
provides grants for teacher visits.
The DfID Global School Partnerships can provide grants and support to linked
schools. For information visit www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools.
Global Teachers Programme
Contact LCD to find out about the Global Teachers
Programme, which enables teachers to undertake short placements in Ghana,
Malawi, South Africa and Uganda.
Other info
You could also contact your local Development Education Centre (DEC) for
advice and materials. A list of DECs can be found on the Development Education
Association's website: www.dea.org.uk.
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